than was confiftent either with the price or elegance of the volume. If editors or proprietors of books are thus captious, or mear enough to fuppofe that, by given us an early opportunity of announcing their volumes to the public, we are to connive either at the inelegance of the publication or the tricks and impofitions of the trade, they are mistaken in the fpirit of independency that actuates the London Reviewers; as we are determined to abide by the ftrictett impartiality in our account of the productions of the prefs, without refpect to the perfons or pecuniar intereits of either authors, editors or publishers.-At the fame time, we beg leave to defire those who mean to favour us with their performances, to give effectual orders for their timely delivery; of the failure in which circumftance we have met with frequent cause of complaint a the intended favour not coming to hand till after our purchase of the book.

The very unfair practices, that have been made ufe of by our intereffed rivals, to take advantage of the temporary inconveniente, to which the late fire fubjected us, oblige us alfo to request, of the friends to the London Review, the exertion of their intereft, within the circle of their acquaintance, to prevent the other Reviews from being impofed on the public, as hath under various pretence? been attempted, inftead of this work; which, they may reft affured, will continue to be carried on with the fame candour and impartiality, by which it has been hitherto recommended.-At the fame time, we take the liberty to repeat our laft refolution, of giving fome character of every English book or pamphlet, that comes from the press.

Our readers may obferve that in the prefent number of our Review, we have, for the fake of gaining time and correctness in printing, omitted the enumeration of the feveral articles, in the body of the work, as well as the distinction hitherto imperfectly made between books and pamphlets, together with the mode of claffing the latter. The references on the blue covers, as well a in the Table of Contents and Index, to the page in which each article is inferted, with the recapitulatory catalogue at the clofe of each volume, rendering the first totally ufelefs and the two lait ertirely unneceffary.

The Appendix to Vol. I. of the London Review. being re printed, may now be had of the publishers -The Appendix t Vol II is alfo reprinting and may be had in a few days.

Our private correfpondents, for many of whom we have, on different accounts, very great refpect, will excufe their not receiv ing anfwers to their letters fo early as, had not an unforeseen per plexity of business intervened, both inclination and good manners would have fuggefted.

LONDON REVIEW,

FORMA Y,
MAY, 1776.

Three Dialogues concerning Liberty. 8vo. 2s. Dodfley.

If, amidst the rage of political difpute, and the clamours of party-prejudice, the still, fmall voice of reafon may be heard; we fhould wish to recommend the perufal of thefe dialogues, on the prefent popular subject of Liberty, to the attention of the Public. We do not, indeed, remember to have met with a more fober, difpaflionate and judicious investigation of natural, civil, and religious LIBERTY, than in the Dialogues before us.

In the first, the author treats of natural liberty, in the difcuffion of the natural impulfes or laws of human nature; the natural equality of mankind and the fenfe of justice, arifing from that equality drawing from the whole, the line, by which the liberty. of human actions ought to be circumfcribed, in the following inferences.

"First, No man can juftly violate or tranfgrefs those laws, which are neceffary to the propagation, continuation, and fupport of our fpecies, with the greatest advantage poffible.

"Secondly, No man can jufly violate the laws of humanity, or all thofe propenfities, which would prompt us to a benevolent, humane, and reasonable treatment of each other.

"Thirdly, No man can juftly tranfgrefs thofe bounds, which juftice, regulated by the laws of human nature, doth determine to be the true meafures of the rights of mankind, to the poffeffion of property of any fort whatsoever.

Fourthly and laftly, That the nearer men approach to a perfect obedience of all, to all thofe laws, the nearer they will approach to that juft natural equality, and that juft liberty, which would refult from the equal fubjection of all men to the fame natural laws: and that the idea of perfect human liberty is a perfect and exact obedience of all, to all thofe laws.

The final inference, concluding this dialogue, therefore, is that "Nature is no less an enemy to Licentiousness than she is to Tyranny."

In the second dialogue, this mafterly writer treats of the flate of Nature, and the rife of civil government.

VOL. III.

K k

"As for thofe, fays he, who are so very curious in their researches, concerning the fate of nature, as to confider man as a being abstracted from fociety, and naturally unfociable; as an individual totally uncon nected with his fellow-creatures, we may leave them to the enjoyment of their own fpeculations; which, notwithftanding the difcovery of a *wild boy or two, are entirely vain and chimerical; because men never have, naturally, exifted in such a state at any time whatever.—I nodded affent.

66

When, continued he, we difcourfe of men, as being in the ftate of nature, to diftinguish their manner of existence, before their entering into any formal government; it is a phrafe, which may serve very well for that purpose: but if we conceive, (and it is generally fo conceived) that as foon as men fubmit themfeives to government, they are no longer in their natural fiate, it is a very great miftake.-It is true, they have varied the flate they were in, before their fubmiffion to government, but that variation does not induce an annihilation of the laws of nature; or, in other words, it does not make void the flate of nature, confidered as a flate, in which men lived obedient to the true laws of nature, not enforced by political government: it is the inju rious part of the ftate of nature, (which arifes from the want of fome certain and fufficient power, to enforce an equal and due obedience to the laws of nature) that men mean to get rid of, by fubmiffion to political government. All the other parts of the fate of nature, they mean to preferve by that very fubmiflion.--So that when men enter into political government (if upon right principles) they are as much in the fate of nature, as they were before they entered, with this difference only; that by the force of a good government, the laws of their nature will be preferved in much greater purity, than they could be in the flate of nature for the want of that force.-So much for the state. of nature, confidered in this particular light.

"But for my part, I cannot but think it a very unphilofophical diftinction, to fuppofe men to be out of a flate of nature, when they Submit themfelves to government; or indeed ever to fuppofe them to be out of their natural state at all, unless when they violate the true laws of their nature; and that we know they frequently do, under government, as well as before their fubiniffion to government.

"Now if the violation of the true laws of human nature, do (as being an anti-natural thing) put men into an unuatural state; and if to correct and reform fuch violations, be to reduce men to their natural State again; and if that can only be effectually done by the help of good government, mult we not conclude, that the true end of government is to keep men in their natural ftate? And that men, under fuch government, are really much more in a natural ftate than they were, when under no government at all?

It has ever appeared itrange to me, continues the speaker, to hear men talk of man, as being in the flate of nature, or not in the flate of nature, in the fenfe ufually affixed to thefe phrafes. Much anibiguity would have been avoided, if the words, Man in his natural

* Peter.

6

flate, or not in his natural ftate,' had been employed.-When any other fpecies of animals is made a fubject of enquiry, we always treat of it, as being in its natural ftate. And we very juftly determine that to be the natural state of any species of creatures, which is found to be confonant to the true laws of its nature: and as far as the motives or actions of any creature, be diffonant to the fame laws (by whatever means fuch diffonance arife) fo far muft they be deemed un natural, and the creature out of his natural ftate.--Now were we to make man a fubject of enquiry on the fame ground, I apprehend much perplexity would be avoided; and we fhould be much more likely to understand his true natural state.'

Proceeding on this ground of enquiry, he concludes, that "man, in a favage or uncultivated ftate, is in the lowest state of human nature; that which approaches the nearest to the state of the brute creation;" and, of course, the farthest from that which is peculiar to his species.

"To suppose, continues he, men to be out of their natural state, as foon as they begin to form plans of government, and to invent the ufeful and ornamental arts of life, is as irrational as to fuppofe ants out of their natural ftate, when they ftore up their hoards against winter; or bees, when they conftruct combs for their honey.

"A creature formed as man is, with fuch faculties, fenfes, and mental powers, is by nature moved, according as particular circumftances arife, to form and to fubmit himself to political inftitutions; and to invent and cultivate arts ufeful and ornamental to life, and neceffary to his well-being. This indeed is done in a progreffive way, from a ftate of barbarity to a state of refinement and elegancy. He feldom continues long in any certain ftate. Sometimes his progrefs in improvement is quick, fometimes very flow, because it much depends on favourable circumftances, and on the aufpicious fituation of things. In the least cultivated, or favage period of his existence, he is a very neceffitous creature, and his time and faculties must be almoft intirely engroffed in providing for fuch wants as are too preffing to be neglected. In fuch a ftate he can have but little leifure for contemplation and reflection; and from the rudeness of things about him, his ideas muft be few, and his views fhort and confined. In his progrefs toward a more improved ftate, his urgent wants becoming more cafily provided for, and finding more time for the exercife of his mind, he Proceeds on, ftep by step, to the difcovery of all the arts and sciences fubfervient either to the utility or the ornament of life, until at length he arrive at the moft refined and polished ftate; from which it has been the ufual courfe of things to decline again into barbarity. Now, were we inclined to determine upon any one period in this progrefs, asb ng more properly the natural ftate of man than any other, where Kk 2 mult

This is not univerfally true. The celebrated Buffon affirms, that our fheep, in particular, are very far removed from their natural ftate: a pofition which he maintains with great plaufibility of argument. Not that the exception, although it might be extended to other fpecies of brute animale, affects that of the prefent writer relpecting the state of man. Rev.

muft we fix ?-To fay particularly feems difficult, anfwered I.-Muft it not be juft at that period, interrogated he, when his conduct is most conformable to the true laws of his narure?-It muft, answered I.— Perhaps, continued he, that may not be in the most refined state; and I think we are fure it is not in the most rude: but at whatever intermediate period it may be judged to exift, in all stages above or below that period, man will be more or less in his natural ftate, according as he approaches to, or recedes from, this conformity to the laws of his nature. And this is what I think, concerning the natural ftate of man.-Remove one difficulty for me, faid I, and we perfectly agree. Government, you know, is efteemed a work of art: how can men be faid to live in their natural flate, when their conduct is regulated by a work of art? They may, anfwered he: for if we enquire into the juft principles of that work of art, we fhall find them to be the true laws of human nature, which ought to regulate, not only the actions of men, but the conftruction and conduct of that work of art itself. But you will be pleased to obferve, added he, that it would be but of little moment here, to mark out precifely the line which separates the operations of inftinctive nature from the works of human fkill: becaufe, in the cafe before us, the inquiry is concerning the natural flate of man; which confifting, as we have agreed, in his obedience to the laws of his nature, it matters not whether this obedience be effectuated by inftinctive nature fimply, (though we are pretty fure it is not) or by the force of that and art united. And here I must beg leave to take notice, continued he, that when the word art is used to fignify fomething not founded in the nature of man, or as fomething that is not the natural refult of the nature, conftitution, and faculties of man, it certainly is mifufed.-Do you mean, demanded I, to say that art is natural to man?-I do, anfwered he.-But is not that a contradiction in terms? interrogated 1.-It may appear fo, according to the vulgar fenfe of those terms, replied he; but I believe it is no contradiction in the nature of things; for if it were, it certainly had never exifted. It may be very proper on fome occafions, continued he, to diflinguifh the operations of general or inftinctive nature from the works of human skill: which, you know, has been done by Mr. Harris, as he does every thing, with admirable perfpicuity, in his Treatise on Art.* But, nevertheless, it is impoffible to confider the wants and defires of man, and the nature, extent, and capacity of the human mind, and not to perceive that the natural result must be art. So indeed it seems, said I.-Art must therefore, in this fenfe, be natural to mau, concluded he."

That the speaker's argument is here ingenious as it is convincing, is certain; we do not find in it, however, that novelty which our author gave us hopes of, in flattering himself that he might "happily ftrike out fomething new in these matters; or

render,

If we did not think this compliment too direct to come, though anony mously, from Mr. Harris himself, we should be induced, by the style and manner of thefe dialogues, to fuppofe that excellent logician to be the author of them.

Rev.